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    Home ยป Seasonal ยป Summer

    Upside Down Plum Cake

    Published Jul 20, 2019; Modified Sep 21, 2025 by Sylvie Taylor

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    This Upside Down Plum Cake recipe features a moist and tender cake base topped with juicy and sweet plum slices and passionfruit for a stunning presentation that is ideal for every day baking or special occasions.

    An upside down plum passionfruit cake sits on a floral serving plate on a gray surface.

    Table of Contents

    Ingredients and substitutions for Upside Down Plum Cake
    How to make Upside Down Plum Cake
    FAQ's for the best Upside Down Plum Cake

    Ingredients and substitutions for Upside Down Plum Cake

    • Plain flour: Plain flour or all purpose is best because it helps give the cake itโ€™s light texture and nice crumb. You also donโ€™t want to overwork the batter so you donโ€™t end up with a firm cake texture.
    • Almond meal: Ground almonds or almond flour might be what you refer to as what is called almond meal here. Finely ground almonds create a beautiful and soft texture to our cake.
    • Polenta: Fine ground cornmeal polenta adds a slightly different texture to the cake alongside the almond meal. You could replace in equal measure with almond meal here, though this hasn't been attempted so the final result is not clear.
    • Butter: Unsalted butter is used here though salted could easily be substituted in place. For the cake youโ€™ll definitely want your butter to be room temperature as it creates a nice fluffy foundation. You could substitute with non dairy butter.
    • Sugar: The nice fine granules of superfine/caster sugar dissolve into the batter and add sweetness without adding additional flavors to the cake so is best recommended, though you could replace with white sugar or an equal mixture of superfine/caster and brown for a slightly more caramel flavor.
    • Eggs: The room temperature eggs add structure and bind everything together and are the core to our cake.
    • Plums: Fresh were used here and are best because they arenโ€™t too sweet. If you can obtain frozen plums, these would also work, however, you would need to defrost and drain of excess moisture before using in the cake.
    • Passionfruit: Fresh passionfruit was used as it's easiest to homemake the syrup. Though you could simply replace with a store-bought version or omit, if preferred.

    See recipe card for quantities.

    A slice of upside down plum passionfruit cake sits on an individual plate with someone holding the plate above a gray surface.

    How to make Upside Down Plum Cake:

    Passionfruit pulp sits in a small saucepan to make a syrup on a cooker.

    Step 1: Make that syrup: The passionfruit syrup is simmered and created and pour into the base of your cake tin, spreading evenly.

    Sliced plums sit on top of a passionfruit syrup in a cake tin for an upside down plum cake on a gray surface.

    Step 2: Lay: The sliced plums nice and evenly on top of the syrup in the base of your cake tin.

    A upside down cake batter sits in a stainless steel bowl on a gray surface.

    Step 3: Whip it: Beat the butter and sugar until combined.

    Step 4: Yogurt and dry: Add the eggs and beat and then the Greek yogurt before tossing in the dry ingredients and whipping until combined.

    An upside down plum passionfruit cake sits on a floral serving plate on a gray surface.

    Step 5: Batter up and bake: Spoon the cake batter on top of the plums, smoothing out. Baking until golden.

    Step 6: Invert: Invert the cake onto a plate and set aside to cool fully.

    A slice of upside down plum passionfruit cake sits on an individual plate with a forkful of cake sitting beside on a gray surface.

    Step 7: Serve: Slice and serve with a little whipped cream or spoonful of yogurt.

    FAQ's for the best Upside Down Plum Cake

    What is the best way to bake a cake with syrup in a springform tin?

    If using a springform cake tin, lay aluminum foil underneath as the syrup and plum create quite a sauce which will drip whilst baking and this will keep cleanup easy.

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    Upside Down Plum Cake

    Sylvie Taylor
    This Upside Down Plum Cake recipe with finely sliced plums and a homemade paasionfruit sauce sits on top of a light cake including almond flour and polenta to make this upside down cake a modern version of an old classic.
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 20 minutes mins
    Cook Time 50 minutes mins
    Total Time 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins
    Course Dessert
    Servings 10
    Calories 210 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    Syrup

    • 60 milliliters / ยผ cup water
    • 50 grams / ยผ cup superfine/caster sugar
    • ยผ teaspoon ground cardamom
    • 1 passionfruit pulp

    Cake

    • 65 grams / 2.3 ounces butter room temperature
    • 125 grams / โ…” cup superfine/caster sugar
    • 110 grams / 2 large eggs room temperature
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • ยผ teaspoon sea or kosher salt
    • 71 grams / ยผ cup Greek yogurt
    • 50 grams / ยฝ cup almond flour
    • 120 grams / ยพ cup plain flour
    • 40 grams / ยผ cup polenta
    • 4 grams / 1 teaspoon baking powder
    • 3 grams / ยฝ teaspoon baking soda
    • 300 grams / โ…” pound plums sliced into โ…› slices and pit removed

    Instructions
     

    Syrup

    • Preheat the oven to 180C/350F and line a 20 cm or 8 inch round cake tin with parchment paper.
    • To make the syrup, place the water, sugar and ground cardamom into a saucepan on medium heat, until the sugar has dissolved, and the syrup has simmered for approximately 3 minutes.
    • Add the passionfruit pulp and allow to simmer for a further 3 minutes until slightly thickened.
    • Pour the syrup into your cake tin and smooth out evenly across the base of your tin.
    • Lay the sliced plums down into the syrup around the entire base of your cake tin. Set aside.

    Cake

    • Meanwhile, place the butter and sugar into a bowl and whip until combined, approximately 2 minutes.
    • Add the eggs and whip until well combined and fluffy, a further 2 minutes.
    • Spoon in the Greek yogurt and vanilla extract and fold until well combined and smooth.
    • Toss in the almond flour, polenta, plain flour, baking soda and baking powder to the wet ingredients and fold through until the batter is smooth.
    • Pour the cake batter on top of the plums and spread out evenly, tapping the base of the cake tin to ensure bubbles have been removed from the batter.
    • Place in the oven and bake for 50 minutes or until golden brown on top and a skewer comes out clean in the center.
    • Remove and allow to cool for 5 minutes before inverting onto a plate.
    • Allow to cool.
    • Slice and serve with a spoonful of whipped cream or Greek yogurt.
    • Dig in!

    Notes

    • Plums: Fresh were used here and are best because they arenโ€™t too sweet. If you can obtain frozen plums, these would also work, however, you would need to defrost and drain of excess moisture before using in the cake.
    • Passionfruit: Fresh passionfruit was used as it's easiest to homemake the syrup. Though you could simply replace with a store-bought version or omit, if preferred.
    • Almond meal: Ground almonds or almond flour might be what you refer to as what is called almond meal here. Finely ground almonds create a beautiful and soft texture to our cake.
    • Polenta: Fine ground cornmeal polenta adds a slightly different texture to the cake alongside the almond meal. You could replace in equal measure with almond meal here, though this hasn't been attempted so the final result is not clear.
    • Cake tin: A round spring form tin was used, however, a standard cake tin of similar size would also work well.
    • Best kept: This is best kept covered and will be fine at room temperature for 1 day post baking before it's best to refrigerate. It will last well for up to 5 days.
    Recipe by Roamingtaste

    Nutrition

    Calories: 210kcal
    Keyword almond baking, cake, stone fruit, summerdessert
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